Stigma towards non-suicidal self-harm: evaluating a brief educational intervention
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Trish Houghton; Rebecca Gibson; Jerome Carson
- Source
- British Journal of Nursing. 28:307-312
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
Mental health stigma
030504 nursing
Health professionals
Attitude of Health Personnel
Social Stigma
Stigma (botany)
Suicide
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Harm
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Intervention (counseling)
medicine
Humans
Students, Nursing
Educational Measurement
sense organs
Educational interventions
0305 other medical science
Psychiatry
Psychology
General Nursing
- Language
- ISSN
- 2052-2819
0966-0461
Background: health professionals' attitudes towards self-harming behaviour are predominantly negative. Research examining educational interventions to change negative attitudes is limited. Aims: this study aimed to provide an educational intervention for student nurses to change negative attitudes around self-harm. Methods: attitudes around self-harm and mental health in general were assessed through the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale and the Mental Health Attitude Scale. Fifty-five adult nursing students took part in the 45–minute intervention. This included facts and figures, celebrity stories and personal stories regarding self-harm, all intended to increase understanding. Findings: after the intervention, attitudes measured by the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale had improved significantly. Conclusion: patients who self-harm will without doubt continue to experience negative attitudes from health professionals. This study shows an educational intervention can change attitudes towards those who self-harm.